Fire The Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Authority

(blogs.sfweekly.com)

For the past year and change, Roberts Stadium has been managed by SMG while being maintained by the Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Authority, a branch in city government.

The move to switch the maintenance duties of Roberts Stadium from SMG to the Building Authority has been controversial since day 1 and rightfully so. In the beginning, this was the reason we were given for the switch (bolding has been added by me)...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/mar/12/evansville-hopes-to-pare-costs-with-new-smg-deal/

Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel's office said Friday the city expects to save more than $300,000 annually in personnel costs with an agreement to shift maintenance management of the city-owned facilities from city personnel and management firm SMG Inc. to the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Building Authority. "This arrangement with the Building Authority and the creation of a new facility team will allow us to provide the same level of maintenance at a reduced cost."

Yet now we have been given a completely different reason for the change...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/feb/06/how-smg-struck-out/

The Building Authority's April 19 takeover of maintenance tasks at Roberts Stadium formed the basis for the second strike against SMG. Taking the offensive against SMG after the Redevelopment Commission delayed its arena contract vote last week, Building Authority General Manager Dave Rector issued a four-page memo detailing the issues. "When we first walked in, probably the thing that just struck me the most was the total dismal condition that Roberts Stadium was in," Rector said afterward.

So when the news first broke, we were given this great story that the city was making this move for cost cutting purposes, but when the city made a controversial decision to hire Venuworks for the new arena, we were then told it was because SMG did such a terrible job. This reason makes no sense whatsoever. From the link above...

"The repair and maintenance budget set by SMG for 2010 was $90,550," he said, providing supporting documentation. "SMG expended $69,658.25 and the Building Authority, after assuming maintenance responsibility, expended $6,045.63. Combined, this is $14,846.12 under the budgeted amount."

If things were that bad at Roberts Stadium, why was only $6,045.63 added to the maintenance budget? And why did mayor Weinzapfel and Aces basketball coach Marty Simmons write letters of praise about SMG? And why did Dave Rector himself say everything was ok?...

http://city-countyobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/SMG_Response_Observer.pdf

And now almost a year and a half into the Building Authority running Roberts Stadium, we were treated to these quotes...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/jul/30/cost-of-roberts/

Rector led the tour back outside and past the same group of fans waiting to buy Kenny Chesney tickets, which apparently will be the last big show for the facility. The group of fans — and most on the tour — was oblivious to the uneven concrete that had become dangerously unstable due to age and settling. On the other side of the building, Rector pointed out to an entire pathway leading to a service entrance had been closed due to settling as well. Aside from Roberts own inevitable spiral into disrepair, Rector said the $1.2 million demolition cost was far too high.

Instead of fixing these problems that were supposedly unimaginable, and instead of fixing problems that have arose over the past year and a half, Building Authority General Manager Dave Rector decides to lead the Courier & Press on a tour where he simply points at all of these problems and then recommends demolition instead of fixing any of them. How many other companies can leave a building in shambles and then simply recommend demolition?

Even worse is the fact that the parking lot has been left to rot by the Building Authority. A few weeks ago, I went and took pictures myself of the massive hole created by the broken concrete... (click on photos to enlarge)







As you can see, if you look far enough in the hole between the two slabs of concrete, you can probably see China or Japan. And if you look at the barrels and construction pylons around the hole, you will clearly be able to see that they are from the Building Authority. Therefore, the Building Authority has been fully aware of this problem for some time now AND ISN'T FIXING IT! Yet, Rector told this to the C&P during his interview in the above link...

"You see, the fixtures in here are old, so it's hard to find parts. But we'll still need to get it fixed before the next show comes through — we can't let it go."

You can't let it go? Then why hasn't the parking lot been fixed? And why hasn't any papers been filed with the insurance companies because both the parking lot and the roof (as well as the pumps) were fixed in 2002 and 2005?...

http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&subsectionID=276&articleID=39599

After the Executive Inn was demolished this year, crews left the rubble until the city committed to paying them. We were told this by DMD Director Tom Barnett...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/jul/13/no-headline---ev_demofolo/

DMD Director Tom Barnett said although a fence encircles the roughly two-story, city block-long stretch of twisted metal, brick and concrete, it still poses a danger to the community. "I don't know about you, but I used to climb fences when I was a kid," Barnett said. "I really don't think that's a safe site for anyone."

When the former site of the Executive Inn is considered unsafe (despite a fence around it), an Emergency Demolition Order is signed. When Roberts Stadium has a massive chunk of parking lot forming a huge hole at the entrance to the arena, we get orange construction barrels that have sat out there for months, and months, and months even though concert goers have come very close to this hole many times. It just doesn't add up. The truth is, the Building Authority is assembled more for political reasons than it is for taking care of our buildings. David Mosby proved this in 2002...

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-14124497.html

Democratic County Commissioner David Mosby said he lobbied to have Bettye Lou Jerrel and Steve Martin removed from their positions on the Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Authority's Board of Directors.

"I wanted to work with some friendly faces," Mosby said Monday.

That's right, Commissioner Mosby (a Democrat) wanted to remove two Republicans from the Building Authority because he was looking for, "friendly faces." What a bunch of bull!

Today, we are still seeing these traits with our Building Authority as they follow the same beliefs as our mayor. As long as these political ties exist, we will never be able to get a fair outcome for Roberts Stadium. Over the past year, we've watched...

Jasper bring their gymnasium back from the dead (6th paragraph down) http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/sep/10/cheers-jeers-and-tears/

The Kunkel Group bring the old Knights of Columbus Hall back from the dead http://activerain.com/blogsview/983042/new-assisted-living-home-will-be-built-on-knights-of-columbus-property

The Old Post Office Will Be Renovated
http://www.14news.com/story/14387830/developer-still-believes-in-old-post-office

Yet it's been excuse after excuse with our Building Authority. In fact, every time something happens with Roberts Stadium, the Courier & Press "magically" finds out and goes and video tapes it (Gee I wonder how they found out!). Judging from the caption of the video, Dave Rector was Johnny-On-The-Spot to give them a quote...

http://www.courierpress.com/videos/detail/roberts-stadium-floor-floods

The important thing to remember about the Roberts Stadium "flood" is that the cost to repair this problem was $3,000, a far cry from the $1.2 million the ECVB had budgeted to demolish the venue (it's significantly less than the phantom $200,000 estimate we were given as well). And if we do the correct thing and raise the floor so that it is wide enough for indoor soccer, basketball, and football, THE PROBLEM WILL BE ELIMINATED!

I had a flood in my basement ( I will be talking about this in a future post) two years ago. It completely wiped out most of my possessions down there. Does this mean that I should have demolished it? Of course not!

As if all of this isn't bad enough, the Building Authority has now decided to put Roberts Stadium on lock down...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/sep/19/no-headline---ev_roberts/

"We're going around and changing the locks on the doors because after all of these years who knows how many keys are out there amongst everybody," said Dave Rector, the general manager of the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Building Authority.

If you travel to Gainesville, Florida, be sure to stop by Ben-Hill Griffin Stadium, also known as, " The Swamp." In the spring of 2009, I visited The Swamp... Like many other ballparks, arenas, and stadiums around the country, The Swamp is open to the public as a park on non-gamedays. From dusk to dawn, you can walk, jog, or run around the legendary 88,000 + stadium...







The only thing the University of Florida requests is that you stay off the field. Instead of replicating Gainesville, Florida, our Building Authority appears to be trying to replicate Nevada...

(www.info-quest.org)

(Note: I wouldn't recommend turning my sound all the way up during this video!)





Roberts Stadium will turn 55 years old this October 28th. This great facility has watched decade after decade of residents grow up around it. Many stars, athletes, and celebrities have come and gone from Roberts Stadium, but of them all, only Roberts Stadium has withstood the test of time.

It is unacceptable for Roberts Stadium to be used as a political pawn to push political beliefs that don't even make sense. There is no reason whatsoever why Roberts Stadium cannot function as mid-sized arena. There is also no reason whatsoever why city hall cannot cooperate in keeping Roberts Stadium going instead of playing needless games time after time. Sooner or later, problems such as the Roberts Stadium parking lot are going to have to be resolved regardless of what happens to Roberts Stadium.

It's very simple Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Authority, DO YOUR JOB. Roberts Stadium is too valuable to play politics with. If you can't understand that, then maybe you need to hear the two words Donald Trump gives us every time "The Apprentice" comes on...

(buzzpal.wordpress.com)